The game has minor runes, regular runes, greater runes and diamond runes. I'm curious to know if the rune drops are based on character level, territory level, or enemy level?

Started a new game and my character is currently level 109, and I received a diamond rune drop from a mob in level 190 territory... however, just prior to that, I beat a level 220 zealot in that same 190 territory, and only received a regular armor rune. I would have thought with a zealot at level 220 I'd have at least received a GREATER rune drop. So it made me curious to know if zealot/order member drops are based on the territory they are in or your character's power level? If it's based upon my character's power level, then I don't want to go hunting zealots or order members until I'm a higher level to get better drops. However, if rune drops are based solely on the territory level that they're in... then it won't matter.

@adarklore I think it's based on territory level, just like ingots.

@bielik01 I can confirm that zealots AND order member rune level drops are based upon your character's level, NOT territory level.

Since I always do a save before I kill them, then also save before confirming kill, I was able to restore a save and come back to kill them later, after having increased my level. I went back around when I was level 180+ and started re-killing the zealots and order members, and this time, the very same zealot that I killed previously and only received a regular armor rune, this time I received a DIAMOND rune from. Each subsequent re-load and re-confirm I only received Diamond runes. So as I went through and killed more of them and all of them that dropped runes, were now only dropping Diamond runes!! This included order members that I killed very early and who only dropped MINOR runes at that time, were now dropping strictly Diamond runes after my character reached a higher level.

I'm not sure what the cut-off is, whether it's pre-100 you only get minor runes, at 100 you start getting regular, and 150+ you get diamond? But hopefully this will help other people know that if you want diamond runes, you need to wait and kill them until after your character reaches a higher level.

@adarklore well, good for you! I'm already past that point and don't wish to start another playthrough. I just noticed this with regular enemies patrolling or at camps, when you kill a higher XP one (eg. standard bearer or gedriht), they sometimes drop runes and that depends on territory level, as my Eivor is 400+ level and I still got some minor and regular runes from time to time.

Just wanted to add a followup to this since I re-tested it today. Diamond runes are guaranteed at level 180, not any level prior. You have a chance to get a random diamond rune at any time, but it is only guaranteed from Zealots and Order members at and above level 180.