It's basically re-linking the executable. Way too easy to shoot foot - miss one reference and things break in a spectacular, or, worse, subtle fashion. Which me

It's basically re-linking the executable. Way too easy to shoot foot - miss one reference and things break in a spectacular, or, worse, subtle fashion. Which means: you definitely need to know where all the references are and what they point to. References are under no obligation to be presented in a sensible, decompiler-friendly way. Which is why "jump out into the patch, jump back in" is such a staple of patching. The other way is the hard way, full of pitfalls and potential issues.