[BlargMcLarg]

Do what works for you. Make things data-driven through the editor when it suits you more. Do it in code when it suits you more in code. Only in teams do you really have to worry about where something is beyond personal preference. Example: You can use Node.GetChild(index) in Godot to get a node in the code, or you can expose a nodepath variable in the editor to hook the node to. The first method is code-based, the second one is data-based and more accessible for users. I doubt the performance difference is very significant (and its only done once, anyway).

Other than that, avoid using volatile structures when things need to be solid (above examples easily break when the structure of the children changes, the name changes, etc. whereas a more sophisticated, code-based construction wouldn't), and avoid rigid implementations when you need flexibility.