Editing this review again after the game got review bombed by a wave of new players.
A lot of people are being super misleading when they complain the game isn't complete without DLC, I run complete vanilla games for new players every other weekend, and even after 8 years of playing the game I enjoy vanilla. If you've come for megastructures, planet crackers, and stuff like that, you will have to buy their respective DLC, but if you're here for a fun RTS with literal infinite replayability, you don't really need the DLC, they're just a nice bonus.
A lot of the new players don't realize each DLC comes with a ton of free stuff, as they just see the price tag never the updates. Paradox has one of the best DLC programs I've ever seen and it keeps the game updated and entertaining even after 8 years of playing.
Almost 600 hours in and I finally realized I haven't recommended this game. It's a stunning game, I got around 500 hours into the game without even using mods and never getting bored. There's so many unique ways to win this game other than just having the most powerful military, it's equally fun both with friends and solo.
The amount of DLC can seem overwhelming, but something on the bright side is that unlike other only the host of the server needs DLC, the other players get it (temporarily) for free and can use anything within the hosts DLC as long as they're on the hosts server. It's a wonderful feature. And with each major DLC they add a bunch of stuff into the game for free as well.
I'm coming back to edit this review with nearly 3000 hours.
Buy the game.

Editing this review again after the game got review bombed by a wave of new players. A lot of people are being super misleading when they complain the game isn't complete without DLC, I run complete vanilla games for new players every other weekend, and even after 8 years of playing the game I enjoy vanilla. If you've come for megastructures, planet crackers, and stuff like that, you will have to buy their respective DLC, but if you're here for a fun RTS with literal infinite replayability, you don't really need the DLC, they're just a nice bonus. A lot of the new players don't realize each DLC comes with a ton of free stuff, as they just see the price tag never the updates. Paradox has one of the best DLC programs I've ever seen and it keeps the game updated and entertaining even after 8 years of playing. Almost 600 hours in and I finally realized I haven't recommended this game. It's a stunning game, I got around 500 hours into the game without even using mods and never getting bored. There's so many unique ways to win this game other than just having the most powerful military, it's equally fun both with friends and solo. The amount of DLC can seem overwhelming, but something on the bright side is that unlike other only the host of the server needs DLC, the other players get it (temporarily) for free and can use anything within the hosts DLC as long as they're on the hosts server. It's a wonderful feature. And with each major DLC they add a bunch of stuff into the game for free as well. I'm coming back to edit this review with nearly 3000 hours. Buy the game.