I wanted to name this thread “What I think the alchemist, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger and rogue could learn from the barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer and wizard.” However, I think that title might have been a bit long.
Looking at the level one options I find that the classes fall into two different categories. Some classes make a very meaningful choice that differentiates themselves both thematically and mechanically from others of the same class, while some other classes get no such choice. To list them below:
Mechanical / Thematic Choice:
Barbarian (Totem)
Bard (Muse)
Cleric (Domain)
Druid (Order)
Sorcerer (Bloodline)
Wizard (School)
No Choice:
Alchemist
Fighter
Monk
Paladin
Ranger
Rogue
One could argue that the “no choice classes” have a choice of a 1st level class feat, but I feel like there is a big difference here. When you make a choice like an order or a bloodline, that choice really stands out and feel unique. If you’re a druid with a wild order, you know you’ll always have an edge over druids of other orders when it comes to your shapeshifting abilities. This carries on well past first level, with many class feats giving you a bonus depending on your order. I really like this system, as it doesn't lock in your progression. You could still take the animal companion class feat at level 2 as a wild druid, or choose to forego a companion altogether.
I would love to see something similar for the other classes. Perhaps rogues could pick a creed, choosing between stealth bonuses, social bonuses or combat bonuses. The rogue with the social creed would get a bonus to sneak attack damage after using “You’re next”, whereas the rogue with the combat creed would be able to attack after successfully dodging an attack with nimble dodge (perhaps at a penalty).
Rangers could choose a combat focus, getting bonuses to trap, melee/ranged attacks or their companions. Monks could pick a style (or a lack thereof) and paladins could choose an extra oath, granting them benefits to either offensive, defense or their divine powers. Alchemist could have a crafting specialty, picking between apothecary, poison master, grenadier or mutagenist (granting a special mutagen at level 1). Fighters could pick a signature weapon and gain different bonuses based on it’s type.
One of the other benefits here is that these choices allow for easy additions in the future. Let's say Paizo wants to add a wizard option focused on time magic. It would be easy to add that in! Instead of picking a school at level one they chose to focus on time magic. I think these choices could work in tangent with archetypes, allowing for even more differentiation.
Why I bring this up is because during character creation one of my players (druid) was truly excited about his choice. He had a tough time picking between the wild and animal order because they “both sound so awesome”. Whereas another one of my players (monk) looked at the class feats and went “meh, guess I’ll choose monastic weaponry”. I think he would have been more excited if he had picked a path of specialization, instead of a single ability.