Well, when we use steroids and shutdown our HPTA there is no guarantee we will recover our natural test levels after the cycle, even with proper pct with nolva and clomid, so using hcg is just another tool to help ensure those test levels come back when the cycles over. It basically keeps part of ones HPTA "awake" during the cycle and i wont go into detail about all that but doing so makes recovery easier, and makes a sucessful recovery that much more likely. Tons of guys run a basic test cycle without it and do fine, but for the 60-70 bucks it costs to run it during the cycle and make your recovery faster, easier, less painful and more likely id always say go for it. Its pretty damn simple, two vials of hcg, 5000iu a piece, a vial once reconstituted lasts for about 4-5 weeks, so using 500ius twice ew, so 1000ius total ew makes a vial last 5 weeks, start it after week two on a 12 week cycle and you it will last until right before you start pct, you stop it 4 days before you start the nolva clomid.

Its really up to you, but for the small cost to make your recovery that much easier (pct really sucks) and that much more guaranteed i think its worth using.

Generally it's not needed for a basic cycle. Most folks recover fine without it, on a basic cycle. When you at deca or tren (or the like), then you'll see more people use it.
Also, not everyone believes in its benefits. Some think it's a waste of time and others would never good without it. It can raise your estro, so you need to be aware of that.
I find that it can be beneficial if used appropriately, but I don't see it as a must have for basic cycles.

I don't think it's necessary for basic test cycles. You can still use it for that purpose if you have it, should make recovery a little easier. I prefer it for longer cycles that might be a little more complex where recovery could need that extra boost.