The rooftop stretch of A Friend Like This is the part of the quest most players stall on, because it quietly locks behind two conditions at once. Coen needs to be in vrakhir form, and the trail of smashed tiles only reads as a trail when Focus Mode is active. Once both are true, the sequence is short and completely deterministic.
Quick answer: Come back at night, climb onto the rooftops in north-eastern Svartrau near The Cathedral Complex, then hold Focus Mode (L2/LT) and inspect every yellow-outlined patch of broken tiles, moving southwest until you reach claw marks pointing downward.
Requirements before the roof objective will progress
Two of the quest’s objectives are night-gated. The ground-level investigation in the alley by the north-east wall can be done in daylight, but “Use vrakhiri skills to investigate the roof” and “Use vrakhiri skills to follow the rooftop tracks” will not advance until Coen has turned. If you arrive during the day, the objective sits in the journal and the buildings simply cannot be scaled.
| Objective | Time of day |
|---|---|
| Investigate the alley using Focus Mode | Day or night |
| See where the damage leads using Focus Mode | Day or night |
| Use vrakhiri skills to investigate the roof | Night only |
| Use vrakhiri skills to follow the rooftop tracks | Night only |
| Investigate tracks on ground level | Day or night |
You also need the trail to already be pointing upward. That happens after you scan the alley itself, where Focus Mode outlines the smashed ground, a bloodstain, a torch and a torn-off piece of uniform. Just south of the corner of the wall there is a single roof tile lying on the cobbles, and inspecting it is what redirects the investigation onto the rooftops.
Where the rooftop trail begins in Svartrau
The starting roof sits in the north-eastern corner of Svartrau City, tucked under the city walls and just north of The Cathedral Complex. Open the map and orient yourself on the cathedral before you climb, because the trail runs away from it and it is easy to lose your bearings once you are jumping between gables.
How to follow the rooftop tracks with Focus Mode
How to confirm the rooftop phase is finished
The journal is the only confirmation you need. When the last clue registers, the tracker swaps from the rooftop wording to “Investigate tracks on ground level” and the trail marker moves to the lower area below the claw marks. At that point you drop off the roof and follow the steps up to the nearby building, which is where Lacra and the uriash Nish are.
Note: entering that building starts a fight immediately, regardless of what you say. Top up on blood before you drop down if Coen is short on health.
Why the rooftop objective fails to advance
- It is daytime. Both roof objectives are night-only, and Coen cannot scale the walls in human form.
- The alley clues were skipped. The trail only points upward after you inspect the damage below the north-east wall and the loose roof tile south of the wall corner.
- Focus Mode is not held down. The broken tiles look like ordinary roof damage without the yellow outline, and there is no automatic prompt.
- You are heading the wrong way. The damage runs consistently southwest from the first roof; if nothing highlights, backtrack to the last confirmed cluster and re-scan from there.
The whole quest costs three time units off the 30-day clock, and the rooftop leg does not add any extra beyond that, so retracing a few buildings to find a missed cluster carries no penalty. A Friend Like This is also missable, so it is worth clearing the rooftop segment on the same night you start the trail rather than leaving it for later in the countdown.
