DISCLAIMER: I am no expert on rangers and everything in this post is just my opinion! So feel free to disagree or correct me when wrong and don't have a hissy! =)
I've seen alot of threads lately that suggest this class may be more misunderstood than any other game concept. And of course the tired ranger-down jokes keep coming (but yes I still get a chuckle from the good ones)
First of all, if a ranger dies alot, he/she is a bad ranger. In 50 levels I think my ranger has died 5 times. Before you ask, she was never powerleveled and only received about 7 or 800p worth of twinkage at lvl 40 (if you can even call that twinkage). I think the main thing with rangers that has caused their ill repute is that many people dont realize what the ranger is about. Don't let the dual wield fool you, the ranger is NOT a tank - hence the name "RANGE-r". Granted, through the first 20 or 30 levels, a ranger can be a good assistant tank, or even act like a tank when accompanied by a good healer, or when soloing if somewhere with plenty of opportunity to stop and self-heal. In fact the ranger is a great soloist through the early game if you are careful to choose the right zones. But you really need to be practicing archery throughout because the ranger transforms from junior tank to archer. If you neglect your archery practice you will find yourself without any zones with mobs with low enough ac/dmg for you to melee.
At lvl 50, my ranger still has no problem soloing, fighting rooted and snared dark-blues with 4 stackable DOTs doing a total of about 150 per tick, while shooting arrows for 60-200pts each. She holds a "Glowing Black Sword" only for the dex it gives, and couldnt even remember the last time she had to swing one.
multiple stackable DoTs, DDs, AoE DDs, snares, roots, stackable DSs, self-heals, self-buffs, proc spells, dual wield, tracking and others make up this ******* of all-too-often unrealized potential. RANGERS RULE!!!