The folks at EverQuest II have announced that they will be slight changes to the regular patching procedure to make the implementation of the Shadow Odyssey go more smoothly.
Temporary Alteration to Patching
Starting this week you may notice extra files being downloaded when you patch EverQuest II from either the Launchpad or the Station Launcher.
These files are both from our upcoming expansion and from previous expansions and adventure packs. By making these files available early, we hope to make November 18th and future updates a more pleasant experience for everyone logging into EverQuest II.
Read more here.