Is the epidural worth it?

So every woman I've talked to has given me mixed signals about the epidural. Either it did nothing and was extremely painful and gave them back problems, or it was a lifesaver for their birthing experience and they would 1000% recommend. So I guess I'm asking if the epidural is worth it, in your guy's opinion. I know everyone has a different experience, but is it something that people actually recommend?

Edit: Thank you everyone, I feel a lot better about the epidural and birth as a whole. Everyone here eased a lot of anxiety I was having about the whole experience. This kinda blew up outa nowhere, I wish I could reply to everyone individually! Thank you so much for your input. And to the people who did have a horrible experience with it, I'm so sorry that happened