Should I create armor as different models?

I am starting to create an RPG game that will have many different sets of armor for the player to buy and use.
before I finish modelling the character, I was wondering if it would be better to create armor as separate models (and attach it to the player via sockets), or if it would be smarter to make different character models with the armor already attached and rigged.

any advice on the best way to make armor?
thanks!

You can make separate armor pieces (or whole armor sets) that are rigged to the same skeleton as your character. Then you can just add/switch them whenever you want, using the Set Master Pose Component. ‘Target’ will be your armor piece and ‘New Master Bone Component’ will be your character mesh component.

This way you can make e.g. a base character model without any armor, then attach armor pieces to it. This allows to easily switch different armor sets (or individual armor pieces) on your character, while having one base character model.

Here is some additional help: How To Make Modular Character Armor for UE4 with Blender - Tutorial - YouTube