[Shyandquietguy]

Try to get into battles where you obviously out number the opponent, you'll be able to get your lesser troops to Elites easier.

And remember to only take gradual risks when sending your heroes out on quests. Say if you have a warrior at level 4, then a gradual risk would be to take a dangerous mission, which is for level 5-10. Also, Druids are extremely usefull for close combat if you're careful with them. Their splash damage is extremely helpful for taking down multiple melee foes if you're good at timing attacks and keeping your distance, otherwise you're just going to lose it.