My experience is quite the opposite. My build is a ranger/warrior and the warrior skills came in handy at high levels.
I was at nightmare difficulty during my last play. I never had to rely on potions with life leech and health regen maxed out. My fight with Ygerna lasted a few seconds when I rushed her and executed thousand strikes, with criticals at max. I never bothered with any healing spells because of this.
However, during the early part (ego draconis) I relied heavily on my ranger skills. So in that aspect, the warrior skills are indeed at a disadvantage at low levels.
