Hey!
I played back in early 2021… I played 1 character through to the end-game and then stopped.
I am keen to see how things have progressed since then.
What is a great class/build for me to reacquaint myself to the game with? Consider me pretty much a newb. I like ranged classes. Is there a current meta build that would be good for me to start with? I just like an easy game 
Check the primalist forum. The Curse has made a starter DOT earthquake that works pretty well almost from the start and is easy to gear. Should get you to empowered monos fast and scales well.
EDIT: forgot we can direct link forum posts here. Best Beastmaster Starting Build - Earthquake Aftershock DoT Build Guide! 0.92
Obvious answer is a Runemaster. This is the newest Mastery added to the game, so will be all new for you, and this Mastery is very strong, very fun, and one of the best designed classes I have ever seen in any ARPG.