Are Obolites and Ether actually that hard to get, or do I suck at this game?

Hi everyone, how are you doing?

So, I've been a PC gamer for most of my gamer life, but I was without actually playing anything for like years since my PC gave up on life lol

Recently bought a PS5 and been playing Returnal, and I'm thinking this game is crazy difficult lol I've played for 11 hours and max I could get was Phrike's third stage, and when playing with a friend.

I noticed that Ether is so hard to find and stack, and I'm always short on Obolites when I get to fabricator or things that use them. Question is, is it that difficult, or am I doing something wrong?

Also, are Xenoglyphs just part of the story, or are they actually needed for something?

Yes, I'm a noob at it for sure, but I want some tips lol