The only time it looks insurmountable is when you're looking at something at the end of it's lifespan and contemplating buying the whole thing. Do I care about fighting as a Viking and pillaging England in 867? Yes? Then I buy that DLC for CKIII. Do I care about fighting as China in HOI4? No? Then I don't buy that DLC. You also have 100% control over what you want to buy. They also usually have a free patch that goes along with it that adds new features and fixes any issues that pop up. You buy the initial game, and then every 6 months or a year you get a new DLC that improves it and adds things. Don't think of it as the whole game+DLC costing $300+ (or whatever), think of it as an alternative to COD putting out a $70 game every 2 years (or FIFA putting out a new game every year). Not sure if you've ever played these types of games, but this strategy allows for the developers to continuously tweak the game as well as add new content throughout the (now 8 year) lifespan of the game.