The 13th stationed on the Rhine became one of the principal legions used by Drusus and his brother Tiberius in their campaigns from 20 BC to 15 BC fighting the tribes in Germania and Raetia. The 13th served with Germanicus in his campaigns to recover the eagles of the three legions lost in the Teutoburg Forrest.

The 13th fought in the Dacian wars for Emperor Trajan as well as continuous conflict with the German, Sarmatian and Gothic tribes. Finally by about 395 AD the 13th Legion, having been split into into smaller units and sent to a variety of locals, disappeared from Roman records.