Would you rather pay 60 dollars for the game that includes all the various cosmetic dlcs, or have the option to pay 40 for a game that plays exactly the same, only doesn't have as many cosmetic.
It seems to me like instead of overcharging for cosmetics, they're undercharging for the base game and giving people the opportunity to either pay more for added flavor, or have a price friendly version of the game for people that don't care about the cosmetics.
Dlc is a touchy subject, and I agree to most arguments about companies milking their loyal fans. However, paradox is one of my favorite companies, and I don't mind supporting them. If they have a certain amount of hours alotted to the development of the game, wouldn't you rather have them spend time and resources in making the actual game better, instead of having a thousand different soldier icons?
If the graphics designers finish all their work and are just waiting on other aspects of the game to be finished, then work on extras, should they be included in the base game? Probably...but who knows.
Like I said, I'd rather have the option to pay 40 for the base game, then either ignore the flavor packs or grab them when they're 75 percent off on steam, than pay 60 for a game that includes them all.