The Public Beta Environment is out.

Riot's plan to bring back public beta testing of upcoming patches was set into motion today. Many level 30 users received emails ( make sure to check your spam folders ) such as the one below inviting them to "participate in testing the latest League of Legends game balance changes" on the new Public Beta Environment ( or PBE for short ). This PBE is not, at least for the time being, always available and is limited to short windows of available play time. The current testing only included a few server and client changes but looking in the future I can't see us not being able to test upcoming champions, champion reworks, and balance changes. We all want to avoid first week Xin Zhao power champions don't we?

 Here are is a copypasta of the FAQ for the PBE as well as some additonal red posts clarifying some other questions and concerns.  If you have any more questions or want to share your thoughts about the new PBE, head on over to the official PBE forum!

What is the Public Beta Environment?

• The Public Beta Environment is a test-centric realm used to find bugs before patches are released live.

Is the PBE always available to play on?

• Generally, the PBE is only available when a new patch is imminent.

Who can play on the Public Beta Environment?

• Initially, players who are level 30 and have demonstrated active participation in the community. However, anyone is able to join during limited sign up periods.

How do I know if the Public Beta Environment is available to play on?

• You can log into the special PVP.net launcher and check if the realm is available or you can check the PBE forum.

Once the PBE is up, how do I play on them?

• You log in with your specially created account via the PBE client just as you would when playing normally.

Is the version of the game on the PBE the same as the one that is on any of the live environments?

• No. The PBE version contains all content available in the next patch, although not all of it will be unlocked.

Where can I find out information on what I am testing?

• To find out what is in the PBE, read the PBE patch notes on the forums.

If I find a bug or have other issues in the Public Beta Environment, what should I do?

• You should post a bug report in the PBE forums following the guidelines advanced there.

What champions/skins/runes will be available?

• You will receive various amounts of IP and RP as testing progresses, which may be used to purchase runes, champions, and skins.

[FAQ source]

 There is no Non Disclosure Agreement.

You are welcome to discuss anything that is patched to the Public Beta Environment, although we would prefer it if you keep most bug reports and feedback contained to the PBE forums.

[NDA source]
We limit the number of IP and RP granted in order to make sure that everyone is testing all parts of League of Legends including the Store.

As such, we will be limited Champions to the Free to Play rotation plus any Champions you purchase over time, to try to replicate the normal experience as much as possible.

You will receive weekly stipends of RP and IP on the realm by remaining active on the PBE!
[IP and RP source]

- Udyr, Associate Producer, via the official forums.