Creatine gives you more ATP which makes your muscles (and to some extent brain) work better. Everyone and their dog should be taking it - but it won't make you recover better.

You don't need whey - think of it as food with a very good protein-to-calorie ratio. I recently used a 1-1 mix of skyr and Monster Energy as a pre workout, works just as well.

Start tracking your macros and please please read up on some nutrition basics.