[color:"orange"]I haven't seen any respawning in the Battlefields yet...[/color]
No, but the battlefields are an alternative for those that wanted respawning. They are a separate optional area to kill monsters. After completing the game, act 5 is all battlefields (the screenshot I saw looks like a building with multiple BF entrances), so I think each time you enter one, the whole thing is respawned.
[color:"orange"]I'd be very surprised if after learning how to use a sword well, you switched the battleaxe and all of the sudden forgot how to wield a sword effectively in real life.[/color]
In real life you can not forget skills, but then you also can not talk to an instructor briefly, click a few buttons and dramatically improve you sword wielding abilities with no work on your part. The method to unlearn skills could have been worked into the game in a more immerse way, though (which would probably have its own downsides).
Realistically, there should be some overlap in similar skills, but this would be a big problem trying to balance the game. The specialities are extra benefits for a particular weapon class; your basic stats provide the general abilities. Where that distinction should be drawn is a matter of opinion.
[color:"orange"]Touch a key and you can magically teleport there anytime, etc. Has to be a better way. Also, all of the bugs in the battlefields contribute to the feeling that it was a quick hack.[/color]
So you don't have a problem with all of the other magical teleports in the game, just for the battlefields? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" /> It could have been worked into the story better, but I think it was designed to be a distinct area.
About the bugs: at one point the Larians mentioned the random quest generator might not make it into the game. The battlefields were planned from the start, AFAIK, but I think it took a little more development time than they were anticipating.
