In Atlantica leaders can go on a special quest at level 100 to obtain a leader-only spell for their class type. This helps distinguish leaders from a mercenary that uses the same weapon. Also, some leader classes are not available from level one to mercenaries, meaning a selection of one of these classes as your leader will give you access to the skills of that mercenary type sooner. Finally, other leader classes are not accessible to mercenaries at all, so picking that class for your leader is the only way to get access to those spells.
Leader types fit into three categories: melee, ranged, and caster. Each option has benefits and deficits. Choosing melee for your leader gives you the best growth in defense and hit points, which gives you a better chance at surviving. However, melee characters tend to work best on the front line of your formation, which exposes your character to the most attacks. This can be disastrous in PvP since your whole squad loses if your leader dies.
Opting for a ranged leader allows you to protect your character(Atlantica Online Gold) behind strong frontline mercenaries, but it means your avatar has lower defense and hit points. Enemies adept at ranged attacks can pick on your leader and decimate your forces. Choosing the caster leader gives you access to heals from the beginning of the game but gives you the least durable leader.
