A common house rule in many games is to allow players to take a «starting feat» at first level. Feats tend to open up some additional actions and options for characters, and taking one at first levellets players individualize their character a bit more right from the jump.
It also allows DMs to have slightly more difficult encounters while still giving their early-level players a chance for survival.
However, this was a house rule, not something officially supported by Wizards of the Coast. That is, until the release of the, which brought a handful of changes to how players build their characters.
The largest alterations pertain to character origins, which include player background and species, and with the new rules, players do choose a feat right at level one.
Now, the feat is tailored to their background and chosen from among a set of options reworked to function at earlier levels.