For me poles to walk a camino are as important as having a good backpak. Not only are they so good, when properly used, for the propulsion, even on flat ground, but going uphill or downhill they release a lot of strain or stress of your knees. Many times they also did save me from slipping or falling badly.
The main question is how to properly use them, many things can be found on the web. Nordic walking has many different steps and ways to use the poles. I do a lot of cross country skiing where you must use your poles so I transfert these technics to the walk. By example I use the double push most of the time in synchro. with my breathing
breathing in (pole) 3 steps / breathing out (pole) 3 steps etc I feel that it is a very relaxing and effective way to walk, a more mindful way.
find by yourself what work best for you experiment consciously a lot.
The rubber tips are also important to respect the people of the village and the city, the clic clic clic noise heard hundreds of time and hundred of days might become really annoying, the rubber also give you a better traction on the hard. I found that the best rubber tips are the one sold at Decathlon, they are real rubber. In the wood we take them off. The poles are also an effective way to protect if a dog become aggressive.