I just don't see the great advantage for the time spent respec'cing. What am I missing?
That respeccing only takes a couple of minutes?
That's only in Act 1! That's weak as, not even power gaming. What respeccing Gale to get an extra Misty step and Scorching ray? Come on, that's sad.
The real powergaming of it is in late Act 2 and Act 3 when you've got lots of levels to multi-class around with, and tons of items for combos. You almost need to write it all down.
I did have the items for Astarion the assassin 12 and Astarion the eldritch knight 12. 20 minutes easy, if I had respecced.
