I logged 800+ hours, what do you want. it's for map nerds and excel table nerds. it's no Dwarf Fortress as you have complete control over every unit, but it does have that type of obtuse-ness.

A very deep strategy game, which once mastered, rewards you very well when playing SP. still has tons of MP issues (desync, rehosting issues, etc.). UX doesn't really tell you a lot, but luckily the community has a decent wiki and active subreddit. the modding community is also incredibly creative, ranging anime-waifu portraits of Hitler to reasonable game play reworks.

the complaints about DLC are valid when you are just starting out and don't want the weird subscription model. but when you log 800+ hours, divide that by $140+ spent and it makes a lot of sense compared to a 30-40 hour game costing $60, with an online model that doesn't make sense (and hosting services that will eventually discontinue).

If you want something more visually rewarding, you play Company of Heroes 2 (not 3 atm), Gates of Hell, or Steel Division 2.

I think on paper, Stellaris could deliver a more wholistic game between the grand strategy/combat systems, but at the moment HOI4 is a better combat game than Stellaris, even if it is more number-crunchy