Templars are the only class with a healing skill tree.

The other option is a Restoration Staff.

So... If I want to play a dedicated healer, basically my only choice is a Templar with a Restoration Staff.

Every other class can turn into a DPS / Healing Hybrid by using a Restoration Staff, but I just doubt that one skill tree is going to make it incredibly viable for them to be a dedicated healer.

And, in the best case scenario, all you need to be a top notch dedicated healer is a Restoration Staff; that's still only two options.

I guess I'm just confused on why there's so few choices for a healer, and why they decided to remove the Warden.

Healing currently is a http://www.tesoelite.com/2013/07/healing-the-cookie-cutter-role/

I just assumed we would just visit brothels to heal.

There will be brothels right?

Well, guess I'll just be tanking then.

The classes that are available now are just the very basic ones. There will be more classes and more options for the game when it goes live. Look at the number of classes in Oblivion. During this phase of the beta testing, they are focused on the basics. Embellishments and options come later.

Source?

While being a Templar healer will give you more options to work with as you have both class and staff based heals but there is no indication that being a Templar will make you the "best" healer.

Being able to use a Restoration staff with any base class actually opens healing up to be more flexible and makes you as a player more versatile and not having to be hard locked into that one roll. Also based on the base class you picked you'll have different options to build your healer. For example if you pick say a Dragon Knight or Nightblade you may be able to build a more melee based or stealth based healer. If you picked Sorcerer you may be able to build a more priest or mage based healer.

So no I don't really see where the cookie cutter applies here. While yes the actual resto skill line is the same, the other skills you can acquire to go along with the resto line will not be from class to class.

No source, but it simply stands to reason. I've been involved in game design and coding, and I know that you don't code for everything from the very beginning. You start with basics and then add things as you get the framework developed. As I said, Oblivion has a lot of classes, including a number of stealth classes, which TESO has not shown yet, so I fully expect additional healing classes and dedicated magic using classes.

I understand what you're saying in that there's a lot of choices for hybrids. But the thing is, a lot of people don't like to play hybrids. You say "you don't have to be hard locked into that one roll." What if that's what you want? The Jack of All Trades is the best of none. If you're focused on both damage AND healing, you're not going to be topping charts on either one (usually). For example, you laud the awesomeness of hybrids, but you would never say to a DPS during a raid that they need to throw on a Resto Staff and heal as well as DPS. No, DPS is allowed to be a 'pure' class. Healers just don't have that option.

So, for people who want to do a little bit of everything, this whole vibe of hybrids is awesome. But for us healers, who want to play the dedicated class, it's not fun.

Missed the point a little. There is choice in it. If you want to be a dedicated healer then yes you still have that option. You can build a healer with a Templar or any other class, as again being a Templar won't make you a better healer than others IMO. Also my point wasn't about hybrids really, its that yes you can build a full on healer but can also have a secondary non-healer build if you wish that is easily switched to with a press of a button.

Personally I think you need to break the mentality that "class x = role y". As it won't really apply in ESO. You can build whatever role you want regardless of base class. So again you can still build a full dedicated healer, you now have more base options to pick from to do so, rather than being forced to only pick one specific class to be the "best" role.

In TES games, there were multiple ways to heal.

Restoration

Potions/Alchemy

Eating

Enchanted gear

etcetc...

I am pretty sure some level of self heal will be present for all players regardless of chosen classes.

I don't care which class is healing. I care that only one class has a healing skill tree. A dragon knight can ONLY use Restoration Staff. Same with Sorcerers, same with Nightblades, and Templars have ONE skill tree otherwise.

In contrast, if you want to be a tank, you can be a Dragon Knight, which has 1 or 2 tanking skill trees, you can be a Templar, which has a tanking skill tree, you can be a Nightblade or Sorcerer with Heavy Armor and a Mace and Shield, or with Heavy Armor and a Two-Handed Sword, or you can grab some tanking abilities from the Fighting Guild skill tree...

And don't even make me list all of the DPS possibilities.

Do you see how there's a discrepancy in choice? Even if a Resto staff makes you a good enough dedicated healer, EVERYONE who heals will be using the exact same abilities, exact same gameplay, there's no diversity.

I plan to play a character that is a Templar WITH a resto staff, so I got y'all covered.