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If talent specs are trivial to change it removes the point of having them in the first place. Why should (eg) sinister strike cost 45 energy base if you will always have a 40-energy version if you ever intend to use it in the first place? If you can swap talents as easily as you can swap gear, or even within an order of magnitude, their existence isn't really justified as something that enriches the game in any meaningful way. I'm not using gear swapping as an egregious example, I mean that directly--there's no need for two parellel systems of character differentiation and specialization unless they're sufficiently different. There used to be a split that talents were a 'permanent' part of your character and gear marked progress as well as specialization. As inflation increases, talents become asymptotically closer to simply being an extension of the second set of gear you keep in your backpack. Being able to switch specializations obviates the reason for specializing in the first place.
A lot of people are talking about the major problem, but they're talking about it as if it were an immutable part of game design: that PvP and PvE (and solo and group and raid, and BG and arena) talent choices are so far away from each other that respecs are necessary for basic functionality in either area. This, in my mind, is actually the core problem, that causes the need for respecs in the first place.
If the difference between combat and mutilate was smaller (like it will be next patch) rogues wouldn't need to respec to PvP, if they're willing to take a 5% raid damage hit. If UA spec did more damage, or destro was more PvP-viable, a warlock could have the second-best for both without having to respec. If holy shield was 21 instead of 31 points into protection, paladins could spec fully into full heal spec and still have the tools to tank 5-mans, or raid trash, and wouldn't have to respec ret for farming.
The larger problem is that these two smaller problems, spec fluidity and hybrid viability, can't be solved independently. If the difference between a raid and PvP spec drops from 15% to 5%, and respecs are still only 50g, people will pay that price. And specs can't become more permanent without serviceable multi-purpose specs avaiable.
TL;DR Specialization is meaningless if it can be changed on a whim. Needing to respec in the first place is an aspect of class balance and talent design that needs serious overhaul.
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