I found a couple guides, but I must be stupid because I still have no idea what to make of them?
I don't get what the guides are referring to when they show multiple piece of materia in a piece of equipment that only has one slot?
I found a couple guides, but I must be stupid because I still have no idea what to make of them?
I don't get what the guides are referring to when they show multiple piece of materia in a piece of equipment that only has one slot?
The slots are merely a guaranteed 100% success rate, however anything that can hold materia can hold up to 5 materia.
As to the rest of your question, it is too vague to answer. If you want specific advice, you're going to need to detail what exactly you're melding.
I'm trying to get my Armor smith up to at least be able to craft 2 star items. I'm a few points in craftsmanship above the requirement to make 1 star items.
http://ffxiv.ariyala.com/
Has all the max meld stats as well as the percentage of each slot for what materia you are trying to put into it. Just max it out accoring to the materia prices on your server.