Roto‑Glide is the traversal upgrade that opens up Lumiose City’s rooftops. You earn it roughly two‑fifths into the main story, and it immediately changes how you move around, letting you cross gaps, reach distant ledges, and scoop up items you couldn’t touch before. If a collectible on a far platform looks out of reach early on, move the story forward and return once this upgrade is installed.

Unlock Roto‑Glide (Main Mission 16)

Roto‑Glide is granted during Main Mission 16, “A Rogue Mega Beedrill,” after completing the preceding Main Mission 15 (“A Job for Team MZ”). Your rival — Taunie or Urbaine — calls you to a rooftop meetup behind the hotel in Lumiose City (labeled in‑game as Hotel MZ/Hotel Z). A short sequence follows where they enable the feature on your Rotom Phone and walk you through a quick rooftop glide. From that point on, you can use Roto‑Glide anywhere with enough height.

Note: Some guides reference Mission 15 for the rooftop lesson, but the unlock reliably occurs with the Mission 16 sequence after you’ve cleared Mission 15.

Step‑by‑step: trigger the unlock

  • Progress the story through Main Mission 15: “A Job for Team MZ.”
  • Start Main Mission 16: “A Rogue Mega Beedrill.”
  • Head to the marker behind Hotel MZ/Hotel Z in Lumiose City to meet your rival.
  • Climb the nearby ladder to the rooftop when prompted.
  • After a brief dialogue, your rival enables Roto‑Glide on your Rotom Phone and asks you to glide between adjacent rooftops as a tutorial.

How Roto‑Glide works (controls and limitations)

Roto‑Glide is simple to trigger but rewards timing:

  • Activation: step off from a sufficiently high ledge, then press and hold the A button to deploy the glide.
  • Behavior: you get a small upward bump on activation and then a steady glide that gradually loses altitude.
  • Height requirement: it won’t activate from low ledges; you need a meaningful drop to trigger the feature.
  • Handling: direction is based on your momentum when you trigger it; lining up your approach before the jump makes landings easier.
Tip: The A‑button timing can feel picky at first. Practice from a safe rooftop to learn how much run‑up and air time you need.

What you can reach once you have it

With Roto‑Glide, you can chain rooftop hops across Lumiose and land on far platforms that were previously just out of reach. That includes hard‑to‑access item pickups — if you spotted a purple Poké Ball early and couldn’t figure out the path, glide back to it now. Because the feature dramatically cuts down backtracking, it’s worth prioritizing the main missions until this unlock happens, then circling back for sidequests and cleanup.

Quick reference

Detail What to know
Story point Main Mission 16: “A Rogue Mega Beedrill” (after Mission 15)
Where it triggers Rooftop meetup behind Hotel MZ/Hotel Z in Lumiose City
Who teaches it Rival (Taunie or Urbaine)
How to activate Step off a high ledge, then press and hold A mid‑air
Minimum height Required; won’t trigger from low drops
What it does Small lift on activation, then a glide that slowly loses altitude
Tutorial check Glide between nearby rooftops immediately after the unlock

The takeaway is straightforward: push the story to the rooftop lesson, learn the A‑button timing, and then make Lumiose your playground. Once Roto‑Glide is on your Rotom Phone, most of the city’s tempting gaps turn into practical routes.