[2023] Is the workbench too difficult to unlock?

You don't really grow out of needing a workbench, even with late game gear. A workbench will remain useful because there are some things - ammo in particular - that A) are consumable, so you'll always need more; and B) require the workbench to craft. Plus, the workbench can make anything you can craft out of the backpack. So it's great for e.g. making a stack of 1000 cobblestone or what have you while freeing up your crafting queue to make odds and ends in the meantime.

It is a sandbox game, so you can find an alternate path around most supposed necessities if you're determined enough. In the case of ammo, you could loot or buy enough to get by, or mount a base defense that doesn't rely on needing much ammo. But with that caveat, I tend to agree with Frank: the want for a workbench will always be there.