Renown is a measure of your accomplishments in Fire Emblem Awakening, acting as a currency that unlocks various benefits within the Barracks. As you complete battles, achieve high scores, and engage with game features, your Renown increases. Higher Renown levels grant access to more powerful items in the Barracks shop, new map options in the Bonus Box, and even special encounters.
The Barracks itself serves as your hub for managing your army outside of combat. Within the Barracks, you can interact with your units, adjust their equipment, and access various shops and features unlocked by your Renown. The Barracks shop offers a rotating selection of items, from healing tonics like Vulneraries to powerful weapons and even rare items like Second Seals. The higher your Renown, the more valuable the items available for purchase. For example, at lower Renown levels, you might only see basic healing items, but at higher levels, you could find potent magical tomes or powerful swords.
The Bonus Box is another feature unlocked through Renown. This allows you to access special maps that offer unique rewards, including experience points, gold, and sometimes even rare items or characters. These bonus maps are often themed and can provide a welcome respite from the main story's challenges, allowing you to grind for resources or train your units. The difficulty and rewards of these maps scale with your Renown. For instance, a low Renown player might access a simple map with a few Risen, while a high Renown player could face a challenging map with powerful enemy commanders.
Increasing your Renown is achieved through various in-game actions. Winning battles, especially on higher difficulties or with specific objectives met, contributes significantly. Recruiting new units, completing side quests, and even achieving high support ranks with your characters can also boost your Renown. The game tracks your progress, and reaching certain Renown thresholds will automatically unlock new tiers of items in the Barracks shop and new maps in the Bonus Box. Actively engaging with these systems will ensure you have access to the best resources and opportunities to strengthen your army.