Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Stellaris and other Paradox games are infamous for having stacks of paid DLC, and execs know this can be "off-putting".
I think the base game stinks and it doesn’t give me much to work with. I can’t even do espionage without Nemesis dlc. Options are limited in my opinion. Same thing with cities skylines. Base game doesn’t offer much.
I bought the Stellaris “Starter Pack” when it was on sale for 9 EUR. It comes with 4 of the DLCs (out of 32 total).
I had great fun playing that game for over 200 hours, and didn’t once feel like I was missing out by not buying more of the DLC.
It’s a great game even if you just play the base game.
I think the base game stinks and it doesn’t give me much to work with. I can’t even do espionage without Nemesis dlc. Options are limited in my opinion. Same thing with cities skylines. Base game doesn’t offer much.