Is there any clarification that can be provided on what level the Fey Influence feat allows the spells to be cast at (given that half of them can be heightened)? My initial assumption was only 1st level, but given that it is an ancestry feat that seems incredibly underpowered.
The only exception to that is cantrips, which are heightened to half your level rounded up unless otherwise stated.
Agree with the others. Though also agree with you that an unheightened first level spell once per day at level 5 is a little underwhelming and only gets worse as the campaign goes on, especially Grim Tendrils and to a lesser extent Summon, both of which rely on their scaling to stay relevant.
Bane is the kind of spell that stays relevant over the long run though, I'd just pick that one.
Pretty much everybody above has it wrong. Innate spells automatically heighten as you level.
Only innate cantrips?
Innate cantrips are cast at will and automatically heightened as normal for cantrips (see Cantrips on page 300) unless otherwise specified.
The feat is almost entirely pointless that way. I agree that you're right per RAW but I wish they would errata it.
The game has a couple instances of giving you Charm stuck at 1st level. Half-Elf and Dhampir can both get it with a 5th level ancestry feat.