Well when I say it's been "a bit" I mean since 1 gen ago when I went shielder. I get in the fray a lot and do a lot of backstabbing. Perhaps it doesn't impact 2handers and poles quite as much since they don't need to get in as close and therefore won't be swinging too far 'through' the enemy, but I remember it happening often. Not every fight, but frequently enough, maybe to me/from me once every few rounds?
I don't think your peasant/berserker scenario will change too much; the majority of the team hits gained in those situations come while the player is still alive ducking and weaving between people. Hitting through the dead player only accounts for a small amount of hits at the end.
It will happen more often with unbalanced weapons that can not check swing in time, other wise, it is kill happy morons that do not care to notice the friendly on the other side of the enemy, thus THEY DID NOT DO EVERYTHING RIGHT.
Think of the body in the way of the other enemy - ya this shit is going to be fun when zombies are used as shields. Didn't think of that did ya?
I did think of that, which is why I mentioned that this should only happen for a very brief period of time, long enough to catch swings that may have been in progress before the player died. Some people in the thread are talking about making meaty punching bags, which while funny is not my suggestion.
When I say "doing everything right" I mean they are about to land a successful blow on the enemy - not teammates to the sides, not the teammate behind, a proper swing. And it WOULD be a proper swing if it wasn't for the enemy dieing an instant before the swing connects. Sure you COULD argue that the person who swings should be mindful of distance control not only of the enemy in front of them but also anyone that is behind him, and I suppose that's fair enough given the current constraints of the game mechanics.
But ghosting through dead people is still unrealistic and counterproductive to proper teamwork. You can control your own swings and distance, but you can't control the teammate behind the enemy's movement or a random arrow coming in, or any other variables that could cause the enemy to die before you expect them to. I firmly believe this will go a long way towards improving melee combat and overall gameplay in general, without breaking the ability to use enemies against themselves.