Original reading guide by The Rune, based on the linked publications. Suggested reading order, not an official dated timeline.
Two cities, connected lives
Zaun occupies the canyons and lower districts beneath Piltover. The regional account describes two distinct but interdependent societies, with goods, inventions and people moving between them. Wealth above and pollution below are connected parts of that relationship. Zaun is more than a backdrop to Piltover: its own communities, markets and ambitions shape what happens there.
Innovation and its price
Inventors find opportunities in Zaun that Piltover's institutions might refuse. That freedom also permits dangerous experiments and industries whose waste poisons the lowest districts. Follow Renata Glasc for power built through business and Warwick for the human cost of experimentation. These are different experiences of the same environment, not proof that every Zaunite shares one political purpose.
Read from the streets upward
Begin with the regional account, then read Ekko for a perspective rooted in family, invention and attachment to the city. Continue with Renata Glasc and Warwick to see who profits and who suffers. Arcane offers another important presentation of Piltover and Zaun; compare publication contexts rather than treating an older biography as a transcript of the series.