The issue with allowing respecs is that it removes re-playability with the creation of new characters. Why would anyone level up a second character as a mage if they can simply respec? If the plan is to only play through the game once with a single character, that makes sense, but that doesn’t seem to be the plan.
The issue is less about ‘respeccing’ and more about ‘loot you can’t use’. If the game stops allowing for loot drops for unusable weapons, the problem is mostly solved:
In terms of ‘if you don’t like to respec because you don’t find it fun, then don’t’, falls into a misunderstanding of how most people play games. If the developer gives the player an opportunity to take advantage of the system, they will do so, even if it worsens the experience.