I understand what elective mode does, I'm just curious since it's off by default if turning it on is considered by any as cheating or nerfing the game in some way? The skill tree was designed for only certain abilities to be available in certain slots, turning elective mode on definitely makes the game easier. Is this a point of contention for you hardcore Diablo fans or do you embrace the extra freedom it provides for character customization?

It's off by default so new players don't get overwhelmed by choice. The players who make it through the harder difficulties will probably all enable elective mode by that time. 

It just seems to give you the ability to make your character as focused or as versatile as you want. Once you get a ton of skills, it's only natural to start figuring out which skills make you most satisfied and which ones are best for whatever situation you happen to be in.

So far for me it's eliminated a lot of the "class envy" I get when playing class-based RPGs. I can make my guy do whatever he needs to do, and it's awesome. This is the first game in the franchise I've invested a large amount of time in, so I'd also be interested to see whether or not veterans of the series are put off by the level of choice we're being given.