I disagree that the ranger hasn't gained anything outside of combat. They got an extra skill, expertise, increased movement speed including swimming and climbing, and can recover faster from the effects of most environmental hazards (Often cause exhaustion). And in terms of subclasses, Gloom Stalkers are amazing scouts, Fey Wanderers have great social skills.

Yes how much the social or exploration pillar matter to a game is always going to depend on the type/style of game the DM. is running. But it's not like Ranger is the only class or build that depends on the type of game the DM is running, most classes have the same inherent issue the only difference is that it's probably more common for games to run games where the exploration pillar doesn't really matter.