Mage of the Mirror: Simple, Easy way to moderate difficulty

[Kurgan]

Many opinions about these packs but here is my simple advice for those new players wanting to tackle this very difficult (almost as difficult as Frozen Horror) quest pack.

If you want to avoid the quests taking four times as long as GS/KK/ROTWL adventures, and with many times the total party kills, try these suggestions:

1) Zargon should go through and eliminate 1/3rd to 1/2 of the monsters from each quest. That may even include making the "Multiple monster" wandering monster encounters less (say they only trigger one monster). Now you don't need a whole year to finish the campaign if you don't want to.

2) The Solo Quests should be played with more than one Hero. At LEAST 2, but 3 can work too (4 might be too easy, but then these are the first quests so they can be a little easier). To compensate for the extra firepower, increase the rewards to be for each hero. Find one helmet? Make it three. Reward is 150 gold? Make it 150 gold EACH. Easy fix.
Another thing for the above... if you're playing with less than four heroes (or using a non-standard party from the classic four) make sure you have healing. You don't want to let a solo Elf go in there without Water or Earth Spells (that's just asking for trouble) unless you're giving him a heal body spell scroll at the start or a potion of healing +4. The Druid has the same sort of healing spell, and the Bard has a weaker, but still healing power he can use once that benefits a group. Also, you need at least one member of the group who can disarm traps (if no Dwarf, then Rogue has a bandolier or you can just give one hero a toolkit or let them find it in the first search).

3) Use Mercenaries. Avalon Hill suggested in their remake edition to use the Frozen Horror's Mercs in the group quests (that box came with 12 of them). Hire them all as soon as you can afford them. Also use the "Warhorn of Command" artifact from Into the Northlands that lets you retain them at half price (a reward for keeping them alive) in the next quest. If you don't want to just hand them an artifact, you can make it the very first treasure they find on the first search (along with whatever else they would find).

If you don't have Frozen Horror (but own the remake MOTM) you can use the extra blue Elf monsters they helpfully added to the box. These archers and warriors could be hired for a nominal fee, perhaps 75 gold for each Archer and 100 for each Warrior. Granted, you'd miss out on the trap disarming ability of the scouts, but without thinking too hard about it you still get that benefit.

With these simple modifications it should be a lot easier and a lot more fun for especially brand new players who have no idea what they are getting themselves into!

PS: You kind of have to play this expansion with the Elf. Many items are only supposed to be used by the Elf. If somehow you left him out in favor of some other heroes, you should designate another hero to be the "Elf" for purposes of the game, story, etc. and let that hero use those potions, artifacts, etc. that previously only the Elf could use (it doesn't have to be the Rogue, but you could do that too). Whether you want to give the Elf spells to that hero is up to you (though I would tend to think that's overkill... a lot of those spells are in fact situational and might make that character a little more interesting to play as).

[lestodante]

Removing few Hazards and WM cards from the treasure deck should also help, without modyfing too much the rules in the questbook.
Increase the number of arrows that come with the Elven bow of Vindication for some extra fun.

[Daedalus]

Avalon Hill's addition of the Elven Bracers in Quest 1 is also a big help.

Here's another buff idea: Queen Terellia gifts the Avenger/Sovereign Sword to the Elf for the duration of the Quest Pack. It's equivalent to an unkillable Mercenary while the Elf lives.

The Avenger

This magical broadsword gives you the
attack strength of 3 combat dice. You
may make two attacks instead of one
when attacking monsters. This card
can only be used in the Elf Quest Pack.

[Kurgan]

There's an idea. Avalon Hill's updates do help but the quest pack is still a bit too hard to play as written with the 2021 rules, so my basic advice still stands.