For Amarr pilots seeking a faster, higher-dps alternative to the heavyweight Maller, the Omen delivers. While it gets the same 5 turrets its combat counterpart, a rate of fire bonus in place of the Maller's damage bonus along with a generous 40m3 of drones puts the Omen edge clear ahead in terms of damage output. It also offers standard Attack Cruiser mobility, comparable to the Thorax in terms of base speed and potentially faster.

The sacrifice which the Omen makes to achieve this is, unsurprisingly, its tank. It follows the pattern of most Attack Cruisers in having the same slot layout as its combat equivalent - 5/3/6 - however without the Maller's resist bonus and with substantially less powergrid it doesn't even come close in the tanking department. A plated 800mm Omen (it can't really fit a 1600mm) generally offers a little over 20k EHP without armour rigs (which is a fairly common choice to maintain its natural speed) or a little under 30k with them. In exchange, the Omen can reach speeds of between 1.6 and 1.8km/s depending on the rigs and other particulars.

Unlike the Maller, the Omen does receive the usual Amarr bonus to energy turret capacitor use (although its rate of fire bonus works against this slightly). Given that its mobility relies quite heavily on running a MWD however, this actually leaves the Omen more cap-intensive in general use than the Maller was. Running its guns, point, and MWD the Omen will generally cap out after a minute or two, and that's assuming it starts fully charged. With only three mids, his leaves the Omen pilot with a difficult choice between carrying a web (making it easier to defend against tacklers at close range) or a cap booster (allowing prolonged kiting, but leaving it more vulnerable if tackled). Alternatively of course, you could throw both options out the window and just shield tank it - more on that in a moment.

The biggest strength of the Omen is its damage projection - while it doesn't get a range or tracking bonus like its counterparts, the natural reach of pulse lasers lets the Omen easily reach out to around 20+4km with scorch, pushing 350-400dps when combined with its drones. When fighting close with faction multifrequency, that could easily be upwards of 400. Compared to the Stabber this makes the Omen incredibly effective for blapping frigates off the field while kiting, although it doesn't quite have the Stabber's speed.

As I mentioned earlier, the shield Omen is actually a very popular choice. It offers a weaker tank in the region of 15k EHP, but its kiting ability is far stronger with speeds of between 2 and 2.4km/s. On the surface, it simply out-performs its armour counterpart - it offers better speed, better range and better damage. 400 to 450dps with scorch and warriors is easily achievable (or more with medium drones), and thanks to larger guns you're looking at optimal ranges of between 25 and 30km along with at least 5km of falloff, depending on the number of tracking enhancers and locus rigs the Omen pilot has gone for. However with one mid slot taken up for a shield extender, the shield Omen has to make a very big sacrifice - it can no longer fit a cap booster, leaving the ship with a little over a minute worth of cap with everything running. An alternative 'real man' approach is to drop the shield tank entirely and just go for a range tank in a similar vein to the Navy Slicer; while this leaves the ship incredibly fragile, it does solve the cap problem neatly as well as saving even more fitting to enhance its damage and speed.

Like any kiter, the Omen is incredibly dangerous to lighter ships attempting to chase it down. Be prepared to take the full brunt of its damage the moment you cross that 25 to 30km threshold, and don't burn straight for it - I can't stress enough how quickly this thing will blap a frigate if you don't have any angular velocity. Once you get in close you'll still have drones to contend with, although at least you won't need to face any neuts. Larger ships should have less of a problem, providing you don't simply get kited - like the Stabber, you can use this ship's speed to your advantage and even if you can't land a scram, a rapid reversal of direction should throw it out far enough to break tackle and escape. The Omen isn't a particularly powerful brawler, and given that it performs so well at range you're almost always going to want to orbiting close - pulse lasers track slowly even by cruiser standards, and while the Omen might fit a web it's not standard. Get in on top of an Omen in a brawling cruiser, and you should be all set.

Source: http://www.evealtruist.com/2013/04/know-your-enemy-attack-cruisers.html

• Amarr Cruiser I
  • Amarr Destroyer III
    • Amarr Frigate III
      • Spaceship Command I
  • Spaceship Command II

The Omen is a stereotypical example of the Amarrian School of thinking when it comes to ship design: thick armor and hard hitting lasers. Advancements in heat dissipation allow the Omen to fire its lasers faster than other ships without this technology.

Amarr Cruiser Skill Bonuses (Per Skill Level):
10% reduction in Medium Energy Turret activation cost
5% bonus to Medium Energy Turret rate of fire

[Omen, Fingerbang 3.0]

Damage Control II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Heat Sink II
Heat Sink II

10MN Afterburner II
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I

Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

Valkyrie II x3
Warrior II x2

This fit, like all t1 DPS cruisers, is reimbursable under the T1 cruiser blanket policy.

[Omen, MWD Scram CB PVP]

Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
800mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Heat Sink II
Heat Sink II

10MN Microwarpdrive II
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I
Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400

Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

Warrior II x5
Hornet EC-300 x3

Tops out at 452 DPS with no implants, but with Conflagration M and heat and does it at 6.75+3.75 at all 5s. Expect in excess of 300 DPS with no heat, implants and IN MF though, doubly so if you count drones. Not the fastest of the bunch, but still goes a respectable 1500m/s pre-heat. Don't forget to bring cap boosters, as they let you run all the mods without having you run dry.

[Omen, AB Web Scram PVP]

Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Heat Sink II
Heat Sink II

10MN Afterburner II
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I

Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency M

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

Warrior II x5
Hornet EC-300 x3

Mostly useful for home defence, since it's so slow (767 m/s with heat). Works well against anything Cruiser-size and below; 352 DPS at 6.75+3.75 with a nice 39.4k EHP while having the luxury of “immunity” against scrams while having a web and scram yourself. And, while you're unlikely to actually kill kiting opponents, Scorch does usually the trick by scaring them off anyway - 281 DPS with it at 20.3+3.75. Don't get neuted, although if you get neuted dry somehow you've likely picked the wrong target to fight to begin with.