Balance is overrated. As long as each class is fun I'm okay with it. I do agree that the Ranger is horrible in the PHB.
I agree that balance is overrated HOWEVER, think on someone who loves the class fantasy of a ranger, loves longbows, loves survivalism, loves the nature hunter archetype and wanna play 5e as one. Seeing wizards shaping the reality and stopping the time while he is completely useless is not fun or engaging. That would be very frustrating to him...
You're right. I think the ranger is a good example of a class that is so poor that it is not fun.
In that case you'll be pleased to hear that WOTC apparently has been working with Larian to address some of the concerns ranger players have with the class.
In this video (18:20) it sounds like they're going to do away with the favoured enemy and natural explorer features, or at least adjust them so they no longer are overly situational and unfit for video game adaptations. It seems like it's going to be more about your preferred playstyle, but we'll have to wait and see what this actually entails from a gameplay perspective.
