I hate to compare everything in this game to vermintide 2 but sometimes it’s the best way to get my point across, so apologies in advance.
My favorite part of specials in Vermintide 2 was the way they interacted with hordes and other enemies. Blightstormer throws them around, warpfire rat toasts them and can detonate if shot in the backpack, gasrat gasses it’s own allies… and of course who can forget gunrat and its ability to mince a whole pack of friendly stormvermin if positioned properly. This was not only funny but encouraged intelligent positioning and decision making. It also led to memorable, hard-to-replicate moments that greatly improved how fun it was to play.
Currently it seems like most specials and ranged elites deal some form of friendly fire. Bomber guys, flamers, and the gunner variants seem to do something to the enemies they catch with their attacks. But the poxburster is a notable exception. Why does the enemy that is most ripe for smart, split second reactions that can make or break survival in a horde not do friendly fire? I mean come on, it’s a huge explosion and the enemies are literally completely unaffected by it. It would be a big improvement to how fun and interactive it is to deal with poxbursters, especially in the middle of hordes, if they did friendly fire damage like the other specials.
It would also be cool if mutants knocked enemies away as they charged you through hordes, as well as when they tossed you. It would make them easier to spot through a horde, make them a little easier to deal with in horde situations, and would just be a lot cooler.