api design: stateless versus stateful

So, I've been mulling over stateless versus stateful API designs, particularly when you're working with microservices. Stateless APIs get a lot of praise because they're easier to scale and seem simpler, you know, since every request has all the info it needs. But, trying to handle really complex user sessions or multi-step processes can get messy. Stateful APIs, on the other hand, might be easier for some specific situations, but they definitely come with their own headaches when it comes to scaling and making sure everything stays up and running if something breaks. What do you all think? When do you decide to go with one type over the other? Have you found any good patterns or tricks for handling state in systems that are spread out everywhere?