I have about 1400 in EU4 and have about 200 now in EU5. I like the direction of 5 and what they are doing. It is not without its flaws but the biggest issue I have is with the online resources. The EU5 wiki feels empty.

I feel people often forget how long EU4 has been out on the market and how much has changed in it over the years. I think the same happens in EU5 the basis is there now and from now on it will get consistently better.

Paradox hit a real sweet spot with the Clauswitz engine era, EU3-HOI3-Vic2-CK2-EU4.

All the games since then have done a much better job at on-boarding new players but they're all lacking something for anyone who played those previous games. That's not to say that HOI4 or Stellaris or CK3 or EU5 don't have good features but I haven't really gelled with any of them apart from perhaps Stellaris.

That was similar to my experience with Crusader Kings II and III. III is a better game, but at the same time, it's lacking something that II had. It's not so much that each culture/title feels the same, but more that each character feels the same. Your character dies, your new one takes over and it feels the same