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A patch only hits the live servers after a successful PBE test, and more players are always welcome in the PBE. Riot Games tests each game patch on the PBE client first to iron out possible bugs with the help of player feedback. If you’d like to prepare yourself before a patch goes live, however, you can test upcoming patches in the Public Beta Environment (PBE) before they become available on the main client. This may cause you to take your first few matches slowly since you’ll spend more time observing the game for notable changes.
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Once a meta-defining patch goes live, all players will need to go through a small learning period to grasp the basics of the new meta. Even mid-season patches can be impactful enough to shake up the game’s balance, and it takes a while for players to get used to all the changes. League of Legends’ meta changes every season.
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