LogFAQs > #972761168

I can't answer your first question because I'm not the type who plays Maddening (Hard is hard enough for me) but I can answer the other two.

Srk700 posted...

2. How is the class balance? Do fliers still reign supreme, or is there more of a level playing field between flying and grounded classes.

There's a much more level playing field this time. All infantry units have a bonus type (Backup, Mystical, Covert, and more) that grants them a unique ability to make up for not being Flying, Cavalry, or Armored units. Plus, the Emblem rings also give extra bonuses when used by a unit of a certain type, which means you want to have more variety in your unit types.

Srk700 posted...

3. Other than gender exclusive classes and different S supports, is there any other reason for picking female over male or vice versa (like how female Byleth would get Sylvain as a free recruit in 3H)?

There are three side characters who have personal skills that give very minor stat buffs based on proximity of characters of a certain gender, and all of them are tied to female allies, so technically having a female avatar would make these abilities active slightly more often. But again, these are very minor stat buffs .Aside from that and Pegasus Knights being female only (but that's an unpromoted class and their promoted equivalent Griffin Knight is unisex) there's no gameplay difference at all between playing as a male or female avatar.

In terms of supports, there's no difference at all. You only get 1 S-support (from the Pact Ring, which you get late in the game), it can be used to S-support between your avatar and any character, and the conversations (including any romantic implications) from the S-support are the same regardless of your avatar's gender.