Sometimes the most direct route to an area of interest involves maneuvering over obstacles, which is when your free running (vault and climb) techniques come into play. This is extremely helpful in almost every situation and very easy to attempt; you simply run (or walk) at an obstacle while holding this button down.
You usually vault over anything lower than thigh height, such as the hood of a car or a low planter. You step on anything between thigh and waist height, such as a stack of pallets.
You grab and climb onto anything higher than waist height to around 12 feet off the ground, such as larger stacks of items, fences, low-roofed buildings, and many other pieces of scenery.
Anything higher that 12 feet is usually inaccessible from a sprinting free run. However, repositioning scenery (usually a scissor lift or a vehicle with a high roofline) allows you to use the object as a stepping stone to scale higher obstacles.
Continue to look for “steps” of scenic items that allow you to climb vertically and reach higher rooftops, where you sometimes can find more important collectibles or clues to a mission. Similarly, look for open windows and gaps you can leap across (while sprinting) to move from building to building (as shown). If you’re swimming, use the Vault button to scramble from the water, up onto a jetty or pier. Or, create your own steps: use the roof of a vehicle to climb onto a low roof.