The real trick is that it's a skill that you practice and get better at. I was able to do this
https://hackaday.io/project/197868-sub-surface-simon
using no magnification, and only cheap soldering tools.
You can and should be able to solder SMD with only an iron and tweezers. Not everything; not the smallest stuff, but you don't start there. My sweet spot is 0805 or 0603 size components and 1.27mm pitch SOIC parts, which I actually find easier to solder than through hole, because you never have to flip the board over.
My recommendations for most useful tools are a Pinecil, a few packs of cheap flush cutters from Amazon (even expensive ones get dull or break), a cheap pair of sharp tweezers [1], and a tube of flux [2]. You don't always need extra flux if using flux-core solder, but enough flux can turn even the crappiest solder joints into good ones.
Most of the rest of the skill comes from being able to brace your hands against things to get fine control, while being far enough away to not burn yourself.
Magnification unfortunately comes down to how good your eyes are. If you can see your fingerprints clearly at arm's length, your vision is already good enough. If not, no big deal, get a cheap microscope like this one first [3], or a loupe, or some strong reading glasses, or one of those headband visor things with lenses in them.
[1] https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/seeed-technology-...
[2] https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/chip-quik-inc/SMD...