With the right gear and buffs, rangers can tank. Do they take a bit more mana to keep up due to AC/mitigation issues? Yes. Do they make up for it by utilizing flame lick and dual root-proc swords to keep the mobs OFF the rest of the group? Do they make up for it by being able to harmony pull outdoors dungeons like Mistmoore and Unrest (and later Karnor's Castle and City of Mist, etc?) Do they make up for it by being able to ghetto-mez (root) adds if you don't have a chanter/bard? Do they make up for it with all of their utility spells, being able to snare runners, etc? I don't know, that's up to the members of the group.
I would agree our utility is slightly diminished in indoors dungeons.
Can other classes fulfill all of these needs in a group as needed when the situation changes? Yes. A druid is the closest, but they ain't tanking. Nor is your druid going to be out pulling, most likely. And rangers have farther range on track.
A well-played ranger is a significant addition to any group. At least, I would hope any group I've been in has appreciated my contributions. I've tanked in groups and it hasn't been that bad. Nukers are pretty much able to nuke with impunity. And if things get rough, I cast root (or wait til my swords proc it) and back off and let the mage pet tank.
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] Yes, I would prefer a plate class... but when they're hard to come by, a properly-equipped/buffed ranger can do just fine, and can hold aggro the same as a Pally/SK.
Rangers that just sit there and swing swords at a mob and don't use all of their tools... yeah, probably not ideal to have in your group because they're not playing to their potential. For instance, I don't respect fellow rangers who don't pull for their groups (unless you're in a FD-required-to-split situation, of course). I don't respect rangers who aren't rootparking adds (especially on incoming if they pulled them) if there's no chanter/bard in the group (son't make the healer use their mana to rootpark your shit!).
But no, rangers aren't as bad as the propaganda makes them out to be. I played one to 65/200AA on Live, and if that were true, I would not have re-rolled one this time around knowing what I was getting into. Unless I'm functionally retarded, which is debatable.